(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of synthesizing crystalline, covalently linked porous networks with high surface area.
(2) Description of the Related Art
Porous materials are of great interest for applications in gas storage, catalysis and separations. Therefore, the ability to generate highly porous, robust materials in an efficient and simple manner is greatly desired. Metal-organic coordination networks have been vigorously investigated as a means to generate microporous frameworks. While there have been numerous successes using this approach, it would be beneficial to have a means to assemble covalently linked networks for the generation of more structurally stable assemblies. Highly ordered, porous networks based on boronic acid building blocks have been previously disclosed. However, these materials assemble through hydrogen bonding to form stable, highly interpenetrating, diamondoid frameworks. Further improvements in forming porous networks from boronic acids is still needed. In particular, a need exists for a porous network that is based on more stable covalent bonding. Also needed is an improved process for producing the porous networks that does not have high energy requirements.